Guy Ritchie’sMobLandfinally sees the belovedBritish director reunite with Tom Hardyfor a violent crime story, following 2008’sRocknRolla. In the new series, Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, a morally gray fixer for the Harrigan crime family, led by Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve (Helen Mirren). The first episode of Ritchie’s next venture into TV is finally on our screens, asMobLandpremiered on Paramount+ on March 30. Following the debut episode, the first reviews have been posted online. IsMobLandthe start of a new criminal empire, or nothing more than petty theft?
Following the premiere episode, Guy Ritchie’sMobLandcurrently holds a decent 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have also had their say aboutMobLand’s debut episode, as the series boasts a similarly strong audience score of 72%. Starting withMovieWeb’s own Editor-at-Large, Matt Mahler,they wrote that Tom Hardy steals the show (as many were expecting him to) inMobLand. However, they believe the series as a whole is far messier and more lifeless than Ritchie’s past work, writing:
“[Tom] Hardy is brilliant as Harry Da Souza, and we often wish that the show would just cut down on the many other characters and stick with Harry.”
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John Anderson of theWall Street Journalshared a similar opinion of the series, although they extended their praise to the entire cast. They described the plot ofMobLandas “well-trod territory in a series rescued, almost perversely, by the familiar —Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Paddy Considineand the rest of a comfortable cast impersonating gangsters in England.” James Hibbs ofRadio Timeshad slightly kinder words to say about the series. Ritchie serves as an executive producer and director onMobLand(Ronan Bennett created the series), but they said it still feels like a Ritchie project through-and-through, writing:
“Regardless of Ritchie’s level of involvement, you may feel his stamp all over this.”
What is ‘MobLand’ About?
MobLandwas initially created as a spin-off to the Liev Schreiber-led show,Ray Donovan, but was later changed to be a stand-alone series. Like most Guy Ritchie affairs, the series follows a mob syndicate in London, led by the violent Harrigan family, who enforce their regime through fixers like Hardy’s Harry. The official synopsis reads:
“Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza, a street-smart ‘fixer’ who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide.”
The first episode ofMobLandpremiered on Paramount+ on March 30. New episodes will be released weekly. Season 1 will run for a total of 10 episodes. It hasn’t been confirmed whetherMobLandwill remain as a limited series, or if Ronan Bennett and Guy Ritchie will look to make a second season if the show is successful. Either way,MobLandshould happily tide Ritchie fans over untilSeason 2 ofThe Gentlemanis eventually released.
